Before formal school, kids attend daycare where emphasis is put on creative play. There is also a strong focus on teaching children social skills and fostering their love of learning.

“Kindergarten in Finland doesn’t focus on preparing children for school academically,” says Finnish educational expert Pasi Sahlberg. “Instead the main goal is to make sure that the children are happy and responsible individuals.”

2. The first day of school is all fun and games.

Instead of jumping straight into lesson plans, Finnish schools like to keep things light on the first day with games, exercise and discussions about summer vacations. Some teachers even give their students a half-day off, The Atlantic reports. The idea is to ease students and teachers back into the school routine and make the transition as stress-free as possible.

3. Finland schools don’t have subjects.

Last year, Finland announced that their education system would be dropping subjects in favour of a new method known as “teaching by phenomenon.” This means that teachers focus on interdisciplinary topics so that students can combine different skills in one lesson, such as learning geography in French.

Finland has one of the shortest school days in the world, averaging about five hours. Kids are also given very little homework so that they have more time for free play. According to a 2014 study of 15-year-olds around the world, Finnish students spent 2.8 hours per week doing homework, compared to 6.1 hours American students spent.

Amazingly, South Korea is 100 per cent literate, which is likely due to the fact that children study all year round -- in school and with tutors.
The average student works up to 13 hours per day in South Korea. This is because the culture believes that if you work hard, you can achieve anything, so there is really no excuse for failure.
South Korea has very big class sizes compared to North America. This allows for the teacher to teach the class as a community and for students to develop relationships among their peers.

In Japan, schools don't have janitors. Instead, it’s up to the kids to clean their own school every day. This is thought to teach them respect.
Japan’s school year starts in April and ends in March. The country’s compulsory education consists of six years of elementary school, three years of junior high, and three years of high school.
Japanese school buses can get really creative, as proven by the photo to the left.

In Finland, kids don't start school until they are seven years old.
Finnish kids get 75 minutes of recess every day, which is a lot compared to the average of 27 minutes in the U.S.
Finland has short school days usually starting at 8 or 9 in the morning and ending between 1 and 2 in the afternoon. This is because Finnish culture believes important learning experiences occur outside the classroom.

Education in Ireland is compulsory from ages six to 16 or until students complete three years of second-level education.

German kids only get six weeks of summer vacation.

In Russia, school is only mandatory until grade 10. Eleventh and twelfth grade are optional.

Because Australia is in the southern hemisphere, kids enjoy summer vacation in December and January. The year is then divided into four terms with a two-week vacation period between them.

New Zealand’s school terms are divided into four semesters with two-week breaks in between.

Kids in Israel go to school six days a week from September to July. Education is compulsory from age five to 16.

Kids in Italy go to school from Monday to Saturday.

Kids in Chile get 12 weeks of summer vacation, lasting from mid-December to early March.

In Brazil, school starts at 7 AM and runs until noon. Kids then go home to enjoy lunch with their families, which is considered the most important meal of the day.